First forest bus stop in the Netherlands opens in Utrecht
By Simone Jacobs
A free bus service has launched in Utrecht to transport passengers to a nature reserve every Sunday, the first of its kind in the Netherlands. The idea behind the so-called “Boshalte” (forest stop) is to improve the mental health of young people by making it easier to access nature.
New Utrecht forest stop allows free travel into nature
From Sunday, June 7, young people aged 16 to 27 will be able to board the forest bus for free from Domplein in Utrecht. Passengers will be driven to Landgoed Beerschoten, a nature reserve, where they can take a relaxing stroll through greenery.
On Sundays in June, the forest bus will depart from the Boshalte on Domplein every 30 minutes. The first bus will depart at 11am and the last bus back will be at 4pm. Passengers need to reserve a spot on the bus, and choose a departure and return time.
Cultural meeting place RAUM and We The City are behind the idea for the Boshalte, with the aim being to encourage young people to get outside and connect with others and nature. According to UtrechtNews.nl, fewer young people are satisfied with their mental health, falling from 87 percent to 72 percent over the past 12 years.
Forest bus to improve mental health
“The figures don’t lie. Young people’s mental wellbeing has been under pressure for years and waiting lists for support with mental health issues are growing rapidly,” said founder of We The City, Jesse Jörg. And the solution? More time in nature! A study by Leiden University showed that just 15 minutes a day in a forest or park can lower blood pressure and reduce stress, depression and anxiety for someone living in a city.
“And although there is plenty of scientific evidence that nature is an effective remedy for reducing stress symptoms, young people are unable to seek out green spaces regularly enough. We decided to give young people a helping hand by lowering that barrier.” The forest stop was launched to make it easier to get to a green area.
Once at Landgoed Beerschoten, passengers can enjoy the forest by themselves or participate in organised activities such as games or guided forest bathing. Forest bathing, also known as Shinrin-yoku in Japanese, is a therapeutic relaxation technique where you use your senses to connect with nature.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training.Read more